Life Is Short But Sweet For Certain
by sailor's delight
Summary: A/N: I've rearranged the chapters so they make more sense...A collection of unrelated, mostly AU, RLNT drabbles/short stories.
1. Not So Bad

Minor RLTN, an idea that I had that wouldn't leave me alone. Major AU – James is Harry's cousin, The Marauders (minus Peter), Tonks and Lily are all friends and in their seventh yearn with Harry and his friends in their third year. Pretend that the Triwizard Tournament happened last year and Harry still competed and everything still happened that happened during that year. I know it's farfetched, but just go along with it.

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Not So Bad

Fake snow fell silently in the air above Remus as he glanced around the Great Hall, which was barely recognizable. The usual four long tables were removed and replaced with a large, wooden dance floor, stage, and dozens of smaller tables scattered around. He stood next to Sirius and James as they took in their surroundings as well. It was the annual Hogwarts Snow Ball, and the three were in their fifth year of Hogwarts. Groups of giggling girls passed them on either side as they moved into the Great Hall and waited for the dance to begin. It seemed that everyone but them had dates, and they stuck out in the throng of couples. Awkward didn't begin to describe it.

"Well guys. This should be great," Sirius said as he entered the great hall to find a table. Remus went to follow him, but the two stopped when James stayed rooted in his spot.

"Prongs, come on. Before all the good seats get taken and we have to sit with Marissa Barnes and her beehive hair," Sirius said impatiently.

James was gazing up the staircase where two girls were slowly walking down. His eyes were glued on Lily Evans, their fellow fifth year Gryffindor. She was wearing a crème, flowing dress with thin straps. Her dark red hair was twisted up into an elegant knot on her head. Remus thought she looked pretty, but he wasn't going to go there; James had his eye on Lily Evans practically since they had arrived at Hogwarts. They had an ongoing love/hate relationship the past few years; mostly hate, but James was determined.

Remus figured James would be here a while, so he turned to enter the Great Hall when someone caught his eye. He looked at Lily's companion to see who she was and his breath hitched momentarily. Lily had been walking down the stairs with Nymphadora Tonks, another fifth year Gryffindor and Lily's best friend. Remus knew Nymphadora, or Tonks as she liked to be called, but not that well. He knew she was Sirius' younger cousin and her and Lily were best friends their whole life and usually did everything together. Tonks was slightly shorter than Lily and seemed to be walking down the staircase in her high heels very carefully, concentrating on every step. She was wearing a satin sapphire blue dress that went to her knees and had straps that crossed in the back. Her dark hair was in wavy curls with some hair pinned back to show her face better. Remus, along with everyone in Gryffindor Tower, had always thought she was pretty, but not much more. He wasn't one to judge, but she definitely had a streak of something wild and untamed in her, and Remus was intimidated by that, as much as he hated to admit it. Maybe it was the Black in her, or just from being around Sirius too long. Anyway, Remus had always thought she was pretty, but tonight he was definitely noticing her. This strange feeling arose in Remus, like he didn't want her to go into the Great Hall. He didn't want a bunch of cocky, undeserving guys to lay their eyes on her.

The two girls got to the bottom of the stairs and Remus was pulled back to reality as James said to Lily, "Hey Evans; nice dress." Lily just narrowed her eyes and glared at him, shaking her head as she continued into the Great Hall. Tonks paused momentarily, as if expecting Lily to stop and then shook her head slightly and moved to follow her friend into the Great Hall. As she passed Remus, she turned her intense green eyes to him and for a moment everything slowed down a bit. As cliché as it was, it was like they were seeing each other for the first time. Tonks opened her mouth as if to say something, but just smiled elegantly at Remus instead. He followed her retreating back with his eyes and was pulled back to reality a second time by James hitting him slightly on the arm.

"You okay man? Come on, let's go," James said as he went toward the doors to the Great Hall.

"Yeah, okay," Remus said absent mindedly and followed James.

Sirius, James, and Remus sat at their table, sipping on drinks as they watched the greater part of the Hogwarts population dance to another monotonous pop song. Remus was sure he had heard this song before, possibly being blasted from the girls' dorm, but he didn't know what it was or who it was 

by. He spotted Lily and Tonks dancing with a large group of people right in the middle of everyone, clearly enjoying themselves. Tonks' hair had fallen out of place a long time ago and her loose curls were now bouncing on her shoulders and back, catching a ray of light every once and a while. The two girls were clearly having a good time, and were laughing and chatting with each other and the people around them.

"Are you checking out my cousin Moony?" Sirius said, causing Remus to nearly jump out of his skin.

"What? No," he said quickly.

"What do you mean 'No'? You couldn't keep your eyes off her back at the Entrance Hall," James said as he looked at a certain redhead in the crowd.

Remus shot him a glare and then looked back at Sirius, gauging his reaction. When none came, Remus went back to picking at a brownie he had on his plate.

After a few minutes of silence, Sirius startled Remus again by saying, "Hmm. You and little Tonksie. That would be interesting."

Remus looked between him and James questioningly. "Yeah, that would be quite the couple," James said, agreeing with Sirius.

"Woah, who said anything about being a couple? I just think she looks nice tonight, that's all," Remus said, getting a bit flustered.

Sirius and James looked at each other, doubt written on their faces. "Please Moony, we know what's been going on in that abnormally smart head of yours."

At this point, Remus was just confused. He hadn't been thinking about Tonks that way at all before tonight. Honestly, he wondered if they put these ideas in his head just to torment him. Or for their own entertainment. Either one, really.

Just then, the song changed to a slower one and students either started pairing up with their significant others, or making a dash to the refreshment table to avoid some seriously awkward moments. Tonks mouthed to Lily that she was going to get some fresh air and squeezed between swaying bodies and headed toward the door.

"Well, Moony, now's your chance," Sirius said nodding toward the door Tonks just exited. "As for me, I see a certain someone in need of a dance." Remus watched as Sirius walked toward a fourth year Hufflepuff he had his eyes on the past few weeks.

"Really though Remus, just go for it," James said as he got up and walked toward Lily who had yet to find someone to dance with.

"What the hell," Remus muttered to himself as he got up and walked toward the door that lead out of the Great Hall. He walked into the Entrance Hall, looking for Tonks, and spotted a lone figure through one of the side doorways that lead to the courtyard. Remus gulped as he walked slowly toward her.

It was surprisingly warm out for this time of year and the cool air felt good after being in the stuffy Great Hall for so long.

"Need some company?" Remus said quietly to Tonks.

She gasped and turned around, started for a moment. "Sorry, I didn't hear you coming," she said and smiled at him.

"Sorry for startling you," Remus said, smiling at her. She turned back to the courtyard, gazing into the night sky that was filled with stars. Remus could barely make out the dark lake on the school grounds as he leaned against the low stone wall she was leaning on. "So why aren't you back in there, dancing with someone?"

She smiled and continued to look out at the courtyard and school grounds beyond. "They're all nice, but…Well that's pretty much it. Nice," she said, laughing a bit.

"Really? Guys always seem to be all over you, I mean, how could they not," Remus' heart almost stopped as he realized what he said. He didn't know what was up with him tonight; he usually didn't go up to beautifully intimidating girls and start saying things like this to their face.

Tonks laughed again, filling Remus' ears with its tinkling sound. "Well, look at you, Mr. Charmer. I bet you say that to all the girls," she added with a smile on her face.

Remus gave a short laugh and looked back into the darkness, "Yeah, because I have so many girls just dying to be with me."

"You don't? Well, that's news to me" she said in the same humorous tone.

"Yeah well, people can surprise you," Remus said.

Tonks smiled at him and looked out over the grounds again. The two stood in silence for a moment, breathing in the fresh air and cool night, leaning gently against the wall. Remus was starting to get a little cold and was contemplating going back inside when Tonks spoke, breaking the silence.

"You're really quiet," she told him.

Remus gave a confused chuckle and said, "Okay…You can go back inside if you want, I don't mind."

"Oh, God, no I didn't mean it like that," she apologized. "I just meant that you're different. Different than Sirius and James and stuff. They're so..."

"Conniving?" he finished for her.

"Exactly. Conniving. And I always thought you were just like them, but more…mute."

A few instances where Remus had in fact been just like them stood out in his mind, but he chose not to bring them up right now. Instead he just looked at her and offered a small smile. She smiled back and silence enveloped them again. After a moment Tonks stood up off the stone wall and faced Remus.

"You know, you're not that bad," she said, placing her hand on his shoulder for a moment. She then smiled before heading back to the doorway leading to the Great Hall, where the low beats of music could be heard coming from.

Remus stared, shocked, out over the dark grounds again. Maybe she was right. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

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**Disclaimer**

Anything that is recognizable from any of the _Harry Potter _books is property of J.K. Rowling and I make no profit from it.


	2. Hiding

**A/N: **Takes place about a month after the events in "Not So Bad".

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**Hiding**

Tonks adjusted her top as she followed Lily down the stairs from their dormitory and into the common room. They entered the large room and were warmly greeted by the rest of Gryffindor Tower, all of whom had gotten together for the traditional party following the first Quidditch match of the New Year. Tonks and Lily both were handed drinks and started talking with some of their friends about the game, which Gryffindor had won by a landslide.

Tonks was talking with some sixth years when Lily bent down and whispered in her ear, "Ugh, jerk alert," and nodded in the direction of the boy's dorm staircase.

Tonks looked in the direction of Lily's nod and quickly looked away when she saw who it was. Zach Proctor, resident creep, was coming down the stairs, alone. He entered the common room and scanned the crowd in a creepy, very Zach Proctor-ish way. It was common knowledge that Zach had a large crush on Tonks and was planning on asking her to the Grad Dance. The Grad Dance was held in spring each year in honor of the graduating seventh years, and was very similar to a muggle prom. Even though the dance was for the seventh years, fifth and sixth years could go if they wished. Now that Tonks was a fifth year, she was looking forward to the dance and Zach Proctor was not something she wanted in the picture.

Tonks was busy looking for someone, anyone, she could strike up an interesting conversation with to avoid Zach when a roar of applause erupted from the side of the room where the staircase to the boy's dorm was. James Potter, seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team, had just entered the common room. He was closely followed by Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Tonks felt her stomach flop a little when she saw Remus. Now why couldn't a nice guy like him ask her to the Grad Dance? Why Zach Proctor?

"Look, it's the man of the hour!" and "Great game tonight, Potter!" could heard being said over the loud applause for the seeker. Tonks was standing next to Lily watching the scene and heard her mutter, "Oh please," under her breath. Tonks smiled a bit to herself. She thought that it was funny how James and Lily seemed to argue over everything and how obvious it was to everyone but them how much they liked each other. Tonks looked back at Remus was an amused look on her face. Ever since that night they talked at the Snow Ball, she was seeing him in a whole new light. Tonks didn't know what it was, but something about Remus Lupin was grabbing her attention.

A while later, the common room party was in full swing and Tonks found herself struggling to enjoy herself. It was difficult to have fun and keep out of the way of Zach Proctor at the same time. She had managed so far, but her tolerance for forced interest in the dullest conversations was slowly waning. She was pouring herself another drink and looked up and into the prying eyes of Zach Proctor standing across the room. She tried to look quickly down and suddenly be very interested in her red plastic cup, but it was no use. She saw him coming towards her out of the corner of her eye. Tonks quickly turned around and looked for someone to being another conversation with. The only person not talking to someone was Remus Lupin, who was staring intently at a newspaper clipping hanging on the bulletin board. Tonks took a deep breath and made her way over to where he was standing, desperately praying Zach wouldn't follow.

"What are you reading?" she asked Remus quickly, standing as close as she could to him without being intrusive.

He looked down at her and smiled, "Hey Tonks," he then looked back at the article. "Nothing great, just something about flobberworms being useful in potions."

"Really? Interesting…" Tonks said to him.

Remus raised his eyebrow in curiosity. "You think flobberworms are interesting?"

"Oh yeah, throw them in some potions and you've got a party!" she said enthusiastically. Remus looked like he was on the verge of laughter. He could obviously see through her sudden enthusiasm in flobberworms and their use in potions.

"Really Tonks, what did you come over here for?" Remus asked with a smirk on his face.

Tonks sighed and rolled her eyes in the direction of Zach, who was standing by the drink table watching Tonks and Remus talk. "Ohhh, gotcha," he said nodding at her. "So this all you need me for? Just so Zach won't come over here and be mildly inappropriate?" Remus said to her, smirking.

Tonks looked up at him, her eyes pleading and said, "Maybe…"

Remus laughed, "All right, just this one time. But from now on you're gonna have to fend for yourself," he said with fake seriousness.

Tonks let out a sigh of relief, "Thank you, Remus," she said gratefully to him. Out of her peripheral vision, Tonks saw Zach start to make his way over to where she and Remus were standing. She looked down at her shoes and whispered, "Shit, shit, oh shit, I need to hide, hide me…" as she squeezed her eyes shut. Tonks felt a warm hand gently cup her cheek and was about to seriously knee someone where the sun don't shine when she felt a pair of soft lips crash down on hers. Her entire body tensed and then relaxed when she realized she wasn't kissing Zach, but Remus. She felt herself melt into his arms and she wrapped hers around his neck. Remus' hand was in her hair, holding her head against his lips, and after a moment Tonks slightly parted hers, inviting him in. A chill ran down Tonks' spine as Remus gently ran his tongue along her lower lip. The kiss was gentle at first, and then became more passionate, more possessive. After a few long seconds Tonks and Remus parted and Tonks rested her forehead against his, as they struggled to get their breathing under control. She could see Zach out of the corner of her eye standing in the middle of the room, his jaw to the floor. After a beat he slowly turned around and went to the other side of the common room. Tonks let out a breathy laugh and said, "What was that?" in a low voice as she smirked.

Remus took a couple breaths before answering her in a husky voice, "That was hiding."

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**Disclaimer**

Anything that is recognizable from any of the _Harry Potter _books is property of J.K. Rowling and I make no profit from it.


	3. Stuck

**Stuck**

"What do you mean he's _stuck?!"_ Tonks said incredulously. She was standing in the middle of Sirius, James and Remus' dorm in Gryffindor tower, staring at Sirius in his big black dog form.

"Well it's either that or he just really likes being a dog," James said looking down at Sirius, who was peering up at his friends with somewhat of a doggie smile on his face. Lily shot her boyfriend a glare and slapped him on the arm.

"Well he can't just stay like this forever!" Lily said angrily to him. James just stared back at Sirius, who remained sitting there, panting with his tongue rolling out of his mouth. Remus, who had stayed quiet the whole time, continued to stare at his best friend with one eyebrow slightly raised.

"Well we all knew this was bound to happen sooner or later," Tonks said finally. They all looked at her questioningly. "Think about it!" she said looking at them, "You guys illegally turned yourself into Animagi, which is something even the most talented wizards struggle with. Something was bound to go wrong."

"True," James said shrugging and looking back at Sirius.

"What should we do?" Remus said without taking his eyes off Sirius.

"I don't know! You're the one in N.E.W.T Transfiguration!" James said to Remus.

"Well that doesn't mean I know how to fix an illegal Animagus!" Remus said back to him.

Just then there was a knock on the dorm door which opened to reveal the Weasley twins.

"Hey there!" one of them, maybe Fred, greeted.

"Just checking in to see how our favorite puppy was doing!" George said cheerily.

James, Remus, Tonks and Lily started at him for a moment before Lily said loudly, "YOU! You did this didn't you?!"

"Did what?" Fred said, feigning innocence.

"Is something wrong with little Snuffles?" George said with the same innocence as his brother.

"Yes something is wrong with little Snuffles. You gave him something didn't you?" Tonks said to the twins.

"Well. He really wanted something to eat," George said.

"And the little guy was just so cute," Fred added.

"But all we had was…"

"Some prototypes for Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes."

"My God," Tonks whispered.

"But don't worry, it should wear off soon!" George said, "Then you'll have Sirius back, good as new!"

"Hopefully," Fred whispered under his breath.

The group looked at the twins with a mixture of shock and anger on their faces, mouths slightly open. And with that the twins were gone.

"Well, now what?" James asked the others.

"We wait," Remus answered.

They sat down on the beds and floor, watching Sirius as he sniffed around the room for a while. After a few minutes James broke the silence.

"You think he can use the bathroom?"

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**Disclaimer**

Anything that is recognizable from any of the _Harry Potter _books is property of J.K. Rowling and I make no profit from it.


	4. Seventeen

**Seventeen**

Nymphadora Tonks was bored. She was currently sitting in Gryffindor common room, quite alone. Remus had a class, Lily was "helping" James with his Charms essay somewhere upstairs and Sirius, well no one ever _really _knew what Sirius was up to. So here she sat on the couch that had been previously occupied by a couple of first years that had promptly cleared out as soon as she flopped down. Tonks sighed and glanced around the common room. Everyone there seemed to be very busy and by now Tonks was sure her attitude was repelling people left and right. She reached for the remote and turned on the large muggle TV they had in the common room. After a few minutes of flipping through channels Tonks came to the conclusion that nothing was on. She looked around at her surroundings once more and rested her eyes on the coffee table her feet were propped up on. Amidst the pieces of broken Wizard's Chess pieces and chocolate frog wrappers there were a couple of muggle magazines. She leaned forward and grabbed the top one, a colorful magazine called _Seventeen_. Well, it's better than nothing, Tonks thought to herself.

She flicked through the pages halfheartedly, not really reading any of the articles or taking in any of the pictures. She was just about to throw the magazine back on the table and start wandering around when something caught her eye. The words "Is it Love-or Just a Hot Crush?" stared back at her in red letters. Tonks was about to turn the page when something in her head stopped her. _Is _it really love? She was happy in her relationship with Remus, but was it love? All of Tonks' previous relationships had been nothing more than hand-holding on the playground, or a tiny kiss on the roof of a shed at a bonfire with muggle boys from back home before she was at Hogwarts. She had never been in a _real relationship_ like what she had with Remus. So this poses a question…is it love? Or just a hot crush? Well it certainly was hot, Tonks thought to herself. But did that make it _love?_ Her relationship with Remus was relatively new and they hadn't exactly gotten to those three little words yet. Tonks has thought about it, and she's pretty sure so has Remus. According to the quiz, if she answered yes to six or more questions, it was love. Kind of scary how something so big could be figured out by answering eight questions in a magazine. Now that Tonks had been thinking about this for the past few minutes, she found it hard to look away from the page. What the hell, why not?

**I feel really good about myself when I'm around him.**

Well that was a given. Tonks could almost forget about her imperfections when with Remus, and she had quite a few.

**We could spend all night talking and never run out of stuff to say.**

Another yes. Remus seemed like the quiet type in class and with friends, but boy, get him alone and he just goes on and on. In fact Tonks had lost many hours of sleep at night talking with Remus. And doing other things.

**I want him to meet important people in my life, like my parents or grandparents.**

Tonks and Remus _had _been talking about him staying with her over the summer and she's pretty sure her parents would love him. They love Sirius, so Remus would be adored. Her dad's parents were muggles, but they were very accepting of the whole magic thing. As for her mom's parents…well let's not go there.

**He's like my best friend – only I like making out with him.**

Well that one was easy.

**I've seen him at his worst (like after he lost a big game), and I still think he's amazing.**

Honestly? She should get bonus points for this one.

**I'm totally comfortable around him, and I'm not afraid to say exactly what I think to him.**

Please, Tonks was comfortable saying what she felt about McGonagall to her face. Well maybe not McGonagall, but you get the idea.

**We've fought, but we worked it out and listened to each other.**

A Tonks/Remus fight was not fun to watch, or listen to for that matter, but they did happen. A lot of yelling would be followed by some objects thrown, maybe even some curses fired. But then they would disappear for a while. Obviously they worked it out.

**I'm okay making sacrifices for him, like giving up a date so he can study. He does that for me too. **

Example A. Right now. Tonks was sitting here, wasting valuable Remus time while he was exercising that massive brain of his. But seriously, she did make a lot of sacrifices for him. Tonks can remember many nights when all of Gryffindor Tower was out at Hogsmead, or partying, but it was the night after the full moon and Remus really didn't feel like it. So Tonks would snag some food from the kitchens and cozy up on the couch with him. Another yes.

Tonks could feel herself getting nervous as she looked at the page and found that she had checked off all eight "yes" boxes. 100 percent. Tonks had started out the afternoon in a great relationship with a great guy. Now she was in _love._ Did this mean that she would be spending the greater part of her life with him? Should she be thinking about dresses, and rings, and invitations? Baby names? Tonks shook her head vigorously and took a deep breath. _Relax! You're _seventeen_ for Merlin's sake. Seventeen year olds don't think about weddings and babies, _Tonks thought to herself as she threw the magazine back on the table. She barely heard the portrait hole open and nearly jumped out of her skin when someone came from behind her and kissed her neck.

"Jeeze, a little jumpy?" Remus said as he walked around the couch and sat down next to her.

Tonks tried to act casual as she got her breathing under control and smiled at him nervously. "No, I'm fine," she responded quickly. Too quickly.

Remus looked at her with uncertainty in his eyes. "You sure?" he asked. Tonks nodded vigorously. "Okay..." Remus said as he put his book and notes on top of the magazine that was causing her to feel this way. She stared at the books on top of the magazine for a few moments and felt herself calming down. Suddenly, everything seemed to be fine. Tonks furrowed her eyebrows together trying to work through her thoughts. She thought about everything the quiz said and suddenly wasn't so scared about spending a few more years with Remus. In fact, it felt right, very right. Maybe even perfect. Tonks turned to face Remus and slowly smiled at him and let out a little laugh. He looked at her, concerned.

"Seriously, are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'm good, really good," she said to him, smiling.

These magazines really should come with a warning.

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**Disclaimer**

Anything that is recognizable from any of the _Harry Potter _books is property of J.K. Rowling and I make no profit from it.

The article "Is it Love-Or Just a Hot Crush?" comes from the February 2008 issue of _Seventeen _magazine.


	5. I Think We're Lost

"**I Think We're Lost…"**

"I think we should have turned left back at that clearing…" Hermione said, trying to keep her voice strong but failing miserably.

Tonks rolled her eyes to herself and sighed, trying to keep her focus on the darkening forest in front of her, wand pointed straight ahead. How in the world she ended up in the middle of the Forbidden Forest with Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Ginny Weasley she had no clue. It was a lovely spring afternoon right before the end of term and summer vacation. She had just finished her Defense Against the Dark Arts exam and was lounging on the beach by the lake with her shoes off and toes dangling in the cool water. Remus was somewhere nearby reading a book (of course), while Sirius and James were trying to see how close they could get a group of first years to touching the giant squid. Lily was lying next to Tonks and she was going on about how she think she did terrible on her exam. Tonks tried to change the topic as she heard Sirius say to the first years, "Really, he's not all that scary. Just a big goldfish. With tentacles."

"So what's up for tonight," Tonks asked Lily.

"Oh I don't know, we all don't have another exam until Friday, we should all just hang out in the common room or something," replied Lily.

Tonks was about to agree when she heard a voice from somewhere behind her say, "Isn't that Harry by the forest?"

Tonks tipped her head back from where she was lying down to look at her boyfriend, upside down. He was looking somewhere beyond her, in the direction of the dark forest. She then sat up and followed his gaze to the edge of the forest; where there were four people were definitely standing. She squinted before saying, "Yeah, I guess it could be."

"SIRIUS, JAMES!" Tonks winced as Lily screamed over to the two boys.

"Christ woman, what do you want, we almost had them swimming with the thing!" Sirius said angrily as he and James made their way over.

"Harry and all them are by the forest," Lily said to them with narrowed eyes.

"So, he can do what he wants," James said to her.

"He's your cousin, James, who's about to be eaten by a troll or something!" Lily said exasperated.

"Oh please, there are no trolls in the Forbidden Forest," said Sirius as he rolled his eyes.

Lily paused, her mouth slightly hanging open. "Well, whatever, we made a promise to Dumbledore," she said to Sirius. "Keep Harry out of trouble." Sirius and James recited with her.

"Guys, can't we just go down there, tell him real quick to come back up to the school, then we can get on with our lives. We'll say there's a vampire in there or something," Tonks said finally.

"Yeah, come on guys, let's go," Remus said getting up.

"After you, Mr. Prefect," said Sirius, bowing to him.

Two hours later, Tonks got the feeling that she wasn't going to be spending the evening hanging out in the common room like she had planned. The thick branches were blocking what little sun was left and it was getting very dark. Sirius, James, Remus, Tonks, and Lily made it to the edge of the forest, but 

Harry and the others had already ventured inside its depths. They caught up with Harry, but found themselves beyond lost. After some confusion and yelling, Harry explained that Hagrid had asked them to do a little favor for him. Something about Blast-Ended-Skrewts. They were sworn to secrecy as to what they were doing for Hagrid, or why he couldn't just do it himself. Tonks was pretty sure that they didn't even know the answers to those questions.

So now here they were, stuck in the Forbidden Forest which was growing colder and darker by the minute. The shade had felt good at first after spending the afternoon in the sun, but now Tonks was just plain cold. The jeans and t-shirt she was wearing didn't help much either. Tonks knew that she was better than this. She was a Gryffindor, who was going to be a Hogwarts graduate in about a week, she was a member of the Order of the Phoenix, she had a full ride to the top Auror training college in this hemisphere, and had already received word from the Ministry that they would "be honored to welcome her to their Auror family" once she was done with training. She shouldn't be traipsing around some damn cold forest with a bunch of third years, she thought bitterly. Dumbledore better give her personal thanks for what she's going through to keep Harry safe.

Tonks had her lit wand pointing at Remus' back as he led the group along a trail that maybe actually lead somewhere. Tonks had given up on looking around frantically at every sound she heard; it was pointless. There were just too many strange noises that could be coming from too many strange creatures in this too dark forest.

Remus suddenly stopped and Tonks ran into his back and stumbled a bit. They had arrived at a large clearing. Remus barley glanced back at his girlfriend before peering back into the depths of the forest. Tonks knew him well enough to know that he was listening for something. Remus' sight and hearing were much better than the average humans due to the fact that he spent twelve nights a year as a wolf.

"Uh, I think we're lost," Tonks heard Ron say behind her. She resisted the urge to turn around and hex him into nothingness. That just put the icing on the cake of this fun-filled party. Ginny started to say something behind her and Remus held up his hand to silence her as he searched the darkness with his eyes. After a moment he moved slowly into the clearing and started to look around. Tonks looked behind her at the rest of the group and shrugged before following her boyfriend into the clearing. She stood next to Remus as the rest of the group spread out in the clearing after her.

"What do you hear?" Tonks said gently to Remus.

"Something. There's definitely something here," he responded after a beat.

"Something dangerous? Should we get them out?" she said referring to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny.

"No, I think we're fine. If it was something dangerous we would have known about it by now," he responded, distracted.

There was a gasp from behind them, where the rest of the group was standing. Remus and Tonks turned around quickly, their wands raised, to find Ron lying on the ground rubbing his forehead and Hermione next to him with her hands over her mouth. Standing next to Ron and looking down at him, was a huge winged skeletal horse. Its black leathery skin glinted in the night air and it blinked at Ron with large, glassy, jet black eyes. Sirius, James, and Lily looked to the creatures left where another, smaller winged horse was seeping out of the darkness. Tonks felt Remus tense next to her and could feel the hairs rising at the base of her neck. She knew what these things were, and racked her brain to come up for a name for them. Lily answered her question by saying in a whisper, "Thestrals." Tonks now remembered learning about them in a lesson with Hagrid, and this also explained the confused look on Ron, Hermione, and Ginny's faces. It also explained the look of wonderment on Sirius', James', Remus', Lily's, Harry's, and her own face.

Tonks guessed that Ron must have run into the thestral, seeing as he couldn't see it. Seeing Ron run into something invisible had caused their confusion, which was understandable.

"You can see them too, can't you?!" Harry exclaimed to his cousin and his friends, and then added, "Wait, why can we see them?"

"They're thestrals. Only people who have seen someone die can see them," Lily said slowly, all while keeping her eyes on the thestral.

"Oh," Harry said before pausing. "Wait, then why can…" Remus looked at him. "Oh," Harry finished in a tiny voice.

Remus looked back at the thestrals. "Pretty much everyone who's in the Order can see them," he said to Harry.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Tonks said as she tore her eyes away from the pair of thestrals and their black, blinking eyes.

It wouldn't be so bad, Tonks thought to herself as she waited by the entrance of the clearing for everyone to file out onto the trail again. It wouldn't be so bad if there wasn't something that would remind her of everything she has seen. It was easy to repress unpleasant memories of Order missions gone wrong. But having something that only shows itself to those repressed memories just brings them all back up and reminds her why she can see this frighteningly beautiful animal. It reminds her of what has happened and will still happen and could happen to her. Tonks shakes her head at an attempt to rid her mind of those thoughts as the last of the group, Harry, makes his way onto the trail and she brings up the rear.

* * *

**Disclaimer**

Anything that is recognizable from any of the _Harry Potter _books is property of J.K. Rowling and I make no profit from it.


	6. Who's Ben?

**Who's Ben?**

Remus looked around the room, taking in everything that surrounded him. The bedroom was decorated in warm colors; white and creme, brown and red, pink and yellow, making the room always seem bright, reminding Remus of the occupant of the room. Light was cast into the room through its many windows that overlooked the vast green backyard with the beach and ocean beyond it. There was a large bed in the corner with a poufy, white down comforter on it and a large closet on the far wall. Remus looked around at the many photographs on the walls and shelves in both black and white and color. He was in quite a few of them, as were Lily, Sirius, and James. There were also alot of Dora's muggle friends that Remus has been introduced to at parties or while lounging on the beach that summer.

Remus was currently waiting for Dora to return from helping her mom put away some groceries from earlier that day. She had told him it wouldn't take long and that she should just wait up here for her. Remus was visiting Dora for a week or so over the summer before their seventh and final year at Hogwarts. Remus really didn't like to think about their final year at school. He was excited to be a seventh year, but nervous for what would happen after that. Admissions staff members from the top Auror training colleges in the world were already contacting Dora about her impressive resume she sent to them. Remus, on the other hand, had absolutley no idea what he was going to do after Hogwarts. He had the grades to get into some of the best wizarding colleges around, so he wasn't too worried.

Remus continued to look around the bedroom, smiling softly to himself. It was just so..._Tonks_ and Remus enjoyed just soaking everything in. He felt so much closer to Dora whenever they spent time in her room together because it was her and he loved anything that had to do with her. Remus was looking at some pictures when one caught his eye.

It was of a boy that Remus recognized but couldn't think of his name, and Dora. The boy's arm was wrapped tightly around Dora and they both had large smiles of their faces. They looked a lot younger, maybe when Dora was in her second or third year at Hogwarts, so she had known Remus, but not very well. It was night time in the picture and there was a bonfire in the background with a couple of people sitting in chairs around it. Dora was wearing a gray tank top and jeans with a bright blue bathing suit underneath and her hair was still wet. Remus picked the picture up and saw there was a note written on the back. _Just a little something to remember me by and our stargazing session :) Don't forget me at school! - Ben_.

Remus racked his brain to try and remember this Ben. He did look a little familiar, had Dora introduced them at a party this summer? And who was he to Dora? An ex-boyfriend? A childhood crush?

Remus was thinking this over while looking at the picture when he heard a voice from down the hallway.

"Nymph, when is dad getting home, I need his help with..." Dora's younger sister Lyra entered the room and upon seeing Remus gave out a little squeal and said flustered, "Oh! Sorry, I forgot you were here."

Remus smiled at her. "It's okay. Your sisters' downstairs, she should be back soon," he said to her.

"Oh, okay," Lyra said as she backed out of the room. Remus couldn't help but smiling at how completley different she was from her older sister. Lyra was quiet and shy, especially when Dora had friends or Remus at the house. Remus wasn't surprised she had forgotten he was there. As soon as Remus showed up she quickly dashed up to her book-filled room and hadn't emerged for the past few hours. As different as Dora and Lyra were, they were extremley close and trusted each other deeply. Suddenly, Remus thought of something.

"Wait, Lyra!" he said to her and she turned around, startled and looked at him with the same intense green eyes she shared with her sister. "Who's Ben?" he asked her holding up the picture.

Lyra furrowed her eyebrows together in yet another very Dora-like expression of confusion. She stared back at the picture for a few seconds before saying, "Oh, Ben! Yeah, he and Nymph were good friends a while back, but they kinda grew apart when she started Hogwarts. Lost touch I guess."

"Were they ever, you know, together?" he asked her.

"I think they had a thing, they never really got together though," she replied. Remus nodded, looking back at the picture. "You know, he was her first kiss," Lyra added and then gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. "Oh no, I shouldn't have said that..." Remus looked sharply up at her.

"Really? What happened?" he asked. Strange, Remus thought, how he really didn't want to know about his girlfriend's ex-whatever's or her first kiss, but he couldn't help himself from asking.

"God, I really shouldn't be telling you this...I'm pretty sure it was the night the picture was taken. I remember Nymph telling me about it, she was so nervous, or excited, I couldn't really tell. Anyway, she said they had just gone swimming at a friend's bonfire over the summer. I guess they were on the roof of a shed at the guy's house, looking for shooting stars when it happened," Lyra said.

Well that explained the note on the back, Remus thought to himself as Lyra muttered, "Merlin, she's going to murder me if she finds out I told you."

"Don't worry, I won't say anything," Remus told her distracted. So this was the guy. The one guy that a girl never forgets. Her first kiss. Did she really carry out his wish? Had she remembered about him all her years at school? Dora never mentioned him once, and Remus is pretty sure she's never written him while at school. Even when they went to the first party of the summer, she was excited to see all of her old friends, but never paid extra attention to one particular person. Remus was no psychologist, but he was pretty sure that girls never really forgot about their first kiss giver.

As if reading his thoughts (another trait she shared with her older sister) Lyra said, "Remus, I wouldn't even think twice about this guy. This was years ago, she hasn't mentioned him since she met you. And trust me, as excited she was about him, it was nothing compared to how excited she was about you."

"Really?" Remus asked hopefully, looking up at her.

"Oh yeah. You have no idea how many nights she kept me up, just going on and on about you. Believe me Remus, you're the only one she thinks about now," Lyra said. She offered him a small smile and walked out of the room. Remus was deep in thought and didn't notice another person entering the room.

"Whatchya lookin' at?" a familiar voice said from the doorway.

Remus looked up quickly, startled by his girlfriend's entrance. She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling herself in close and gazing up at him with her green eyes.

Remus smiled and held the picture up. "Old boyfriend?" he asked.

Dora barley even glanced at the picture before saying,"Nah, just an old friend." She looked back up at Remus and brushed her lips against his softly. "Come on; let's go downstairs, I'm starving." She turned around and grabbed his hand, lacing her fingers with his own, pulling him out of the room. Remus smiled to himself as he saw the truth in Lyra's words. His Marauder pride swelled as Remus realized that he really was the only one Dora thought about.

* * *

**Disclaimer**

Anything that is recognizable from any of the _Harry Potter_ books is property of J.K. Rowling and I make no profit from it.


	7. Fate

**Fate**

Uncomfortable was the word to describe what Nymphadora Tonks was feeling right now. She couldn't help but feel that she really didn't belong as she looked nervously around at everyone else in the room. She took a shaky breath in and felt a hand rest on her back and move up and down in an attempt to comfort her. Tonks looked to her right as Sirius gave her a tiny smile and then rested his arm by his side again. She couldn't wait to get back to school and try and forget about all this and move on with her life. Tonks took another deep breath and together her and Sirius looked at the casket in front of them and slowly approached it.

Sirius had been in the common room when Tonks gave him the news. He had been flicking through the channels on the TV, trying to block out the irritating commotion some first years were making across the room. Remus was to one side of him, focused on the TV, being his usual quiet self. James was to the other side of him, flicking casually though a magazine. Lily was at one of the many tables in the room, doing her Charms essay. Sirius heard the portrait hole open and heard someone slowly approach him.

"Sirius," said a solemn voice. Sirius turned around, expecting anyone else but his usually overly-cheerful cousin. He looked at her questioningly. "It's Grandma Black," she said. "She's…well she's…not…good," Tonks finished nervously.

By now, Tonks had the attention of not only Sirius, but Remus, James, and Lily as well. Sirius continued to look at her questioningly. Why was she suddenly so concerned about Grandma Black's welfare? The old woman hated the two of them and they gladly returned the favor.

"My mom just owled me," Tonks said, holding up a letter Sirius noticed for the first time. "She wants us to see her before…" she trailed off.

So that's why she was so nervous. Andromeda requested that her daughter and nephew see their evil grandmother one last time before she died. What a great way to experience your last moments on earth; seeing the grandchildren you disowned.

The next day Tonks followed a Healer down the pristine hallway of St. Mungos, Sirius at her side. They walked in heavy silence as the Healer showed them down a narrow hallway where Andromeda stood with a young girl at her side outside a closed door. Andromeda looked at Tonks and Sirius and was flooded with relief. "Oh thank goodness," she whispered, looking toward the ceiling.

Tonks walked over to her mother and younger sister Lyra, giving each of them a large hug. "How is she?" Tonks asked quietly.

Andromeda took a deep breath and said, "It's not going to be much longer…right now she's somewhat delirious, keeps thinking it's twenty something years ago." Andromeda looked very tired. There were bags under her dark eyes and she looked thinner than normal.

Just then, the door they were gathered around opened and Tonks and Sirius found themselves face to face with their younger cousin, Draco Malfoy. He gave them a dirty look and moved down the hallway as more people poured out of the room. Draco was followed by Lucius, who barely glanced Tonks and Sirius but joined his son at the far end of the hallway. Narcissia was the next out, and she gave her sister a look that could pass for comforting, or gratitude, but it was hard to tell. She merely nodded at Sirius, Tonks and Lyra and then joined her husband and son. Sirius' parents and Regulus were the last ones out of the room. His father nodded graciously at Andromeda before addressing his eldest son, "Sirius, I'm glad you made it." He then joined his other sister and her family at the end of the hallway. Sirius' mother gave Andromeda and Sirius and curt nod as she ushered her younger son down the hallway to join the rest of the family as they talked in hushed tones.

"I would have brought Ted, but that could have turned out badly," Andromeda told her daughters and nephew. "He understood," she finished. She then walked into the room and gestured that they should follow her.

The hospital room was dimly lit and the smell reminded Tonks of cleaning products. Grandma Black lay on the crisp St. Mungos' sheets, looking quite frail. Her breathing was shallow as Andromeda approached her saying, "Mom? I brought some people to see you."

The old woman took a deep breath before saying in a barely audible voice, "Andromeda? Is that you? Did you bring Bellatrix? I want to see my baby Bella."

Andromeda looked nervously at Tonks, not wanting to tell her dying mother her favorite and youngest daughter was locked in Azkaban.

"No, but I brought you your grandchildren, Mom. You should see them, they're beautiful," Andromeda said, some pride evident in her voice. Grandma Black slowly turned her fragile face to try and see her grandchildren. Tonks watched in uncomfortable silence as her Grandmother's weak eyes searched the air. She felt like the old woman's eyes were reading into her soul, that she could see that she was different than the rest of her family. Andromeda nudged Sirius forward, and he awkwardly approached the bed. "See mom? This is Sirius, Arcturus' son. His middle name is Orion, after dad."

"Oh, Orion, I miss him terribly. He was a great man, you'll be great too someday," Grandma said feebly to Sirius, who looked like he would rather be serving detention than be in this room.

"And this is Lyra, she's my youngest, and she's very smart," Andromeda said, gesturing Lyra to come forward.

"Dear, you must have gotten your smarts from your mother, she was always excellent in school. Andromeda, tell me you stopped seeing that _boy, _though. You know the Goyle's have a lovely son, you should really meet him sometime," Mrs. Black said to Andromeda. Everyone in the room was well aware that Goyle had since married and had his own son, so that was a slim chance. Andromeda looked at Tonks, not daring to answer her mother's question.

"And this is my oldest daughter, Nymphadora," she said, pushing Tonks toward the bed.

"Nymphadora," Grandma Black said slowly. "What a beautiful name. I bet you're beautiful, just like my Bella." Tonks looked like she was going to murder her mother as she glared over at her. "Andromeda, where is Bellatrix? I want to see her," the frail woman repeated. Andromeda looked unsure at what to do, and she opened her mouth, about to say something when Grandma Black said, "Orion? Oh, it's good to see you, love." She slowly closed her grey eyes, exhaled deeply, and lay on the bed, unmoving.

Hundreds of people came to the funeral, making the environment even more uncomfortable for Tonks and Sirius. Lyra clung to Andromeda's side as she talked in a strained voice to the few family members and friends who still acknowledged her. Tonks and Sirius stood together in a far corner of the room, avoiding everyone who came near them. Tonks could think of about a hundred dreadful places that she would rather be right now. She looked at the other end of the room at the dark casket with hundreds of enchanted flowers surrounding it. Next to the casket was a faded black and white picture of Walburga Black. Tonks swore the woman's cold grey eyes were looking right at her, wearing her down to the bone, exposing her true self to the hundreds of people that had come to pay their respect. Tonks couldn't help but question the old woman's odd kindness when they saw her in St. Mungos. She was no saint when they saw her, but she could have been a lot worse. Tonks couldn't help but wonder, what if Walburga knew about Tonks, Sirius, and Lyra and how different they were from Draco and Regulus. How would she have treated them? What if they were the same as Draco and Regulus? How would she have acted then? Would Tonks have reassured her dying grandmother that Bellatrix wishes she was here and that she loves her dearly? Or would she be up at the casket, comforting Aunt Narcissia who had silent tears running down her pale face? Tonks couldn't imagine any of that happening. Things just fit how they were now and Tonks couldn't see it any other way. It wasn't some horrible family secret that 

her mother married a muggleborn. It was meant to happen; it was fate. Tonks knew that she wasn't mean to live the life of a traditional young Black woman. She was so much better than that, had so much more potential than marrying a rich man and becoming a trophy wife like Narcissia had. Tonks suddenly felt herself fill up with confidence and wasn't scared anymore of these cold people. They weren't a part of her life and she wasn't a part of theirs. She was merely peering through a window at a moment of time, just dropping by for a few hours. She could go back to her cozy dorm room in Gryffindor Tower, and her boyfriend, and her mountain of homework that had accumulated over the past few days and try to forget about the half of her that was still in mourning for a woman whose dying wish was to see her beloved daughter in Azkaban.

* * *

**Disclaimer**

Anything that is recognizable from any of the _Harry Potter _books is property of J.K. Rowling and I make no profit from it.


	8. Mothers

**Mothers…**

Nymphadora Tonks sighed and looked herself over in the mirror, mentally bracing herself. She didn't look half bad actually. As usual, her mother wouldn't be crazy about the tattoo around her thumb, or the one on her wrist, or the red streak going through the underside of the hair on the left side of her head. "_Well", _Tonks thought to herself, "s_he's just going to have to deal with it."_ Tonks was currently standing in her and Remus' bedroom in their apartment in the city. They were invited to Tonks' parents tonight for dinner and to, of course, discuss the wedding. Tonks didn't think her mother would ever stop finding something to fuss about regarding her eldest daughter's upcoming nuptials. Tonks heard the bathroom door open and sneaked a peak at Remus emerging from the room with a towel wrapped around his waist and rubbing his hair with another towel in an attempt to dry it. He wandered into the spacious closet and Tonks looked back at her reflection. She was wearing comfortable jeans with a white flowing tank top with thick straps. Her dark brown hair was slightly wavy today and was in a loose ponytail. It was only May and already the temperatures were creeping up, making it sure to be a hot summer. Tonks just hoped it wouldn't be too unbearable for the wedding next month.

"You ready to go?" Remus appeared from behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. He was wearing worn in jeans and a light, cotton, blue and white pinstripe button down shirt.

Tonks turned to face him and looked up at him with her green eyes, shaking her head.

"Oh come on, it won't be that bad. It's only your parents," Remus said to her.

"I know…let's just go," Tonks said. A smile tugged at the corner of Remus' mouth and together they apparated to the Tonkses.

"Dora! Remus!" Ted Tonks greeted his daughter with a hug.

"Hey Dad," Tonks said hugging him.

"Mr. Tonks," Remus said shaking Ted's hand.

"Please Remus, call me Ted," Ted replied. "Well come on in you two! Dinner's almost ready."

Remus laced his fingers with Tonks' and gave her hand a small squeeze before leading her into the large house.

"Nymphadora!" Andromeda said embracing her daughter.

"Hi, Mom," Tonks said returning the hug.

"And Remus, how are you?" Andromeda said, giving her soon-to-be son-in-law a hug and peck on the cheek.

"I'm good, Mrs. Tonks, how are you?" Remus said.

"Oh, you know, getting the house cleaned up for the big day next month!" she replied.

Tonks knew where this was headed and wanted to steer very clear. "Why don't I help you with dinner Mom," Tonks said to her mother and they headed off toward the kitchen.

"Remus, care for a drink? A butterbeer?" Ted said, clapping Remus on the shoulder.

"Sure, sounds great," he replied and followed Ted into the living room.

In the open, window-lit kitchen, Tonks was tearing up lettuce for the salad when Andromeda came over and stirred a pan with chicken sautéing in it next to her on the island of the kitchen. Andromeda looked over at her daughter and reached over to touch the red streak barely visible in her dark hair.

"Nymphadora, I really hope you're not keeping that in for the wedding," Andromeda said.

"God Mom, of course I'm not," Tonks said, pulling away.

Andromeda raised her eye brows and struggled to hold in a retort for her daughter. After a moment she said, "When are the chairs being delivered?"

"I've told you, the chairs and tables are coming a week from Tuesday, and there will be people coming the morning of the rehearsal dinner to set them up," Tonks said without missing a beat.

"And the dresses?" her mother inquired.

Tonks sighed and looked toward the ceiling, "I'm picking mine up this week, and Lyra and Lily have theirs."

"And the flow-" Andromeda started.

"Yes, the flowers, the food, the band, the chairs, the tables, the bridesmaid dresses, my dress, yes, everything's all set. Fine. Done," Tonks said cutting her mom off.

Andromeda silently continued stirring the cooking chicken, and then turned toward the counter in back of her and got down some plates from the cabinet.

Tonks sighed, "Where is Lyra anyway?" she said after a minute. She could really use her younger sister at a time like this when their Mom was in one of her moods.

"Feeding the horses, she should be done soon," Andromeda said, still focused on the plates.

Mother and daughter worked in silence for a while before Tonks finally said, "Okay, somehow I've managed to make you mad. I'm sorry."

"No, sweetie, I'm not mad," Andromeda said with a strained smile on her face.

Tonks raised an eyebrow, "Mom, I know when you're mad."

Andromeda paused before quietly saying, "I just don't want to watch you make a mistake. The same mistake I did."

"What? But Mom, you and Dad love each other!" Tonks started.

"I know! I love him so much, but by marrying him, my family shunned me. I can't watch society shun my own daughter. Think about what the Ministry will do when you marry Remus. You could lose your job!"

"Then so what! I'll still be with him, I love him Mom. And besides, that's why we're not going around parading the fact that Remus is a werewolf."

Andromeda sighed and looked at her daughter as she finished making the salad.

"Why does it matter so much that your family disowned you when you married Dad. They're all psycho anyway. Didn't it turn out better in the long run?" Tonks said breaking the silence.

"Yes, I know, but they're still my family Nymphadora," Andromeda said quietly. "You don't know what it's like to have your mother hate you."

Tonks looked up at her mother, who went back to attending the chicken, and saw her for who she truly was. A woman, who at a young age had abandoned everything she knew her entire life to live a different life. A life her parents and entire family would be in shame of. Tonks realized how much she took for granted. She would always have her Mom and Dad and sister there. There would always be a family member to talk to, or stay with, or spend holidays with. Her mom didn't have that. Tonks' realization came crashing down on her.

Tonks was staring into space, thinking about her Mom when the woman in Tonks' mind broke the silence.

"Have you thought about taking Remus' last name or keeping Tonks?" Tonks took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to calm herself. "Because really Nymphadora, I believe that's the most difficult decision a bride has to make! I mean, it was easy for me, why would I want to stay a Black, but you really need to start thinking about this..." Mothers. Gotta love 'em.

**Disclaimer**

Anything that is recognizable from any of the _Harry Potter_ books is property of J.K. Rowling and I make no profit from it.


	9. Routine

**Routine**

He lies in bed, reading a book, waiting for her. Always waiting. But he's used to this, has done it many times before. He's exhausted, can't focus on the words in front of him, but he won't turn the light off and close his eyes without her there in bed next to him. He hears the apartment door slam close and knows she's home, and not too happy. But, once again, he's used to this. Knows how to handle it. He hears two muffled thuds and imagines her kicking her shoes off in the kitchen. He hears her padding across the wooden floor to the bedroom, where he waits. He can tell just from listening that she's had a rough day at work, and can predict what lies ahead. They've acted this scene too many times to count, and he is already planning what he will do next. She slowly walks into the room and he can feel the tension coming off of her in waves. She flops down on the bed next to him and buries her face in his arm. He puts his book down and drapes an arm around her slim shoulders, gently rubbing his fingertips across her back.

They sit in silence for a few minutes; the only movement was made by his fingers tracing slow circles on her skin.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he murmurs, dipping his head low towards her ear. He barely feels her shake her head no. They sit in silence for a few more minutes before she suddenly sits up and sits on the edge of the bed, her back facing him. He just stares at her back, waiting, anticipating her next move. She rests her elbows on her thighs and buries her face in her hands, pressing the heel of her palms into her closed eyes. She sits in this position for a moment, takes a deep breath and runs her hand through her hair then heads toward the bathroom and closes the door behind her.

Remus sighs and gets out of the bed and enters the kitchen, knowing exactly what he needs to get. He rummages through the cabinets as he hears her turn on the shower.

Tonks turn the hot water on and breathes in the steam. She gingerly takes her t-shirt off, her sore muscles aching underneath her skin. She pulls her long dark brown hair to the side and glances over her shoulder to take a look in the mirror at her back and takes in a sharp breath. The gash from where the spell hit her is worse than she thought and hurts as bad as it looks. She breathes deeply, closing her eyes, willing up the energy to enter the shower. The instant she closed her eyes, she regretted it. Every time Tonks closed her eyes she saw them lying there. An innocent muggle family, their blank faces staring back up at her. They were a minute too late, and showed up as a Death Eater finished off the family of five. Tonks tried her best to get to him, but the damage had been done. The pair empty eyes boring into her proved a costly distraction, earning her this lovely gash on her shoulder blade.

Tonks finishes undressing and carefully steps into the shower. The water is hot on her skin, but she doesn't care. She lets the water clean the wound and stares at the blood swirling with the water, going down the drain. She remains like that for a while and comes crashing back to reality with a jolt. She turns off the water and wraps herself in a thick towel, and goes back into the bedroom to grab some clothes. As she goes back into the bathroom to change, she catches a quick glimpse of Remus in the kitchen, rummaging through the cabinets wearing just a pair of sweatpants. Tonks changes into an old cotton tank top and plaid flannel pajama pants. When she walks back into the bedroom, Remus is setting a steaming mug on the tiny nightstand next to an open first aid kit. He hears her enter the room and turns to face her, offering a tiny smile. He pats the bed and she lies down on her stomach so her back is facing up. Remus sits on the edge of the bed and brushes her hair away from her back so he can see the damage. He works in silence and after a few moments she closes her eyes, melting into his gentle touch on her skin.

He cleans up the gash and then bandages it up with gauze and tape. When he is finished, he runs his fingers though her hair and stares at her for a moment, watching the steady rise and fall of her back. He pulls up a blanket around her and leaves the hot chocolate on the table. He can always make more in the morning. He goes around to the other side of the bed, puts the long-forgotten book aside, 

and turns off the light. He closes his eyes and inches closer to her warm body. She turns on her side carefully and burrows into his lean chest. He lies there, waiting until her breathing slows and gets deeper before finally allowing sleep to overcome him. They've danced this dance hundreds of times before, and Remus knows there are a hundred more to come.

**Disclaimer**

Anything that is recognizable from any of the_ Harry Potter _books is property of J.K. Rowling and I make no profit from it.


	10. White Roses

**White Roses**

When Teddy Lupin asked his Gran why she always had white roses all over the place, he was expecting anything but the answer he got.

"You're mother loved them. They were her favorite flower," she told him, voice cracking a bit at the end. She told him how they were in her wedding bouquet and how his father always got her a dozen on her birthday. This prompted Gran to whip out the dozens of photo albums she kept on a shelf in the family room and show Teddy pictures of his parents through the years. He had seen these pictures countless times and could predict what Gran would say at each turn of the page. Even though, Teddy couldn't help but smile as he gazed into the laughing eyes of his mom and dad.

Teddy thought back on that afternoon as he placed the bouquet of white roses against the polished black marble. Teddy was nearing the end of his third year at Hogwarts and today was the thirteenth anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts. Each year on the anniversary of the battle, there was a small service for those who wished to attend at the memorial site by the lake on the school's grounds. Teddy attended each year with Gran and then began to meet her there when he started Hogwarts. In the past couple of years he started his own tradition of bringing a dozen white roses and placing them under his parents' names. The memorial was a circular courtyard surrounded by a brilliant garden with flowers of every color, size, and shape in it. Walls of highly polished black marble encircled the courtyard in two semi-circles. One side contained names of people killed during the First and Second Wars, and the other side contained the names of people who died in the Battle of Hogwarts. Teddy was always filled with pride whenever he came here. He was reminded of how brave his parents where and what they gave up to ensure he lived in a better world, and he always felt closer to them when he was here.

Teddy looked around at the dozens of people walking slowly around the circle, looking at the hundreds of names, and spotted familiar faces. Gran and Aunt Lyra, Dora's younger sister, were talking to some people whose names Teddy couldn't remember, but was introduced to them one year, and knew they were his parents' friends when they were at Hogwarts. A large crowd not too far from Teddy was the Weasley/Potter clan, presumably looking at Fred's name, with Harry and Ginny and Ron and Hermione's young children running around in the afternoon sun. Teddy turned back to the memorial wall and gazed at his parents' names. The beauty of the memorial was in its simplicity. Above each name there was a large portrait of the person, and below the name there was a small section of blank stone where family and friends could decorate as they please. Teddy looked at the many pictures that were stuck onto the marble with a Permanent Sticking Charm underneath where _Remus John Lupin _and _Nymphadora "Tonks" Lupin_ were carved into stone. There were pictures of Remus and Dora while they were at school, on the beach at his mother's house during the summer, their wedding, and even a few pictures of Teddy as a baby. In between the many pictures, the words _"To live in the hearts we leave behind is not to die" _were carved into the stone. Teddy was about to move on and look at the rest of the memorial when he felt a presence next to him.

"Hey kid," said a deep voice to Teddy's right. Teddy smiled; he could recognize that voice anywhere.

"Hey Sirius," Teddy said turning to him. Sirius Black was his mom's cousin and their best friend when they were alive, and he was also Teddy's godfather. Sirius was always close to Teddy, and never had a shortage of stories about his parents and their friends when they were at Hogwarts.

"I was just by James and Lily, and saw you over here," Sirius said to him. Teddy looked over at the other wall where he knew James Potter and Lily Evans names where. He couldn't forget to stop by their names as well as his grandfather, Ted Tonks, his namesake, before heading up to the castle. Sirius looked back at the wall of pictures and stared in silence at a picture of Remus and Dora on their wedding day, Sirius and James next to Remus and Lily and Lyra next to Dora. "You remind me of them so much," Sirius said after a few moments of silence.

Teddy looked up at his godfather, who continued to stare at the faded picture. His dark hair had gotten longer over the past few years and he looked a bit thinner and scruffy. Sometimes Teddy wondered if the reason Sirius was so close to him was because of the fact that Teddy was so similar to his parents. Teddy knew that it was an honor to be compared to such brave people, and his pride swelled even more. "Thank you," Teddy said to Sirius, looking up at him and giving him a smile.

Hours later, when the visitors had left the memorial and the students were back up at the castle, Teddy sat on the shore of the lake, enjoying the last few rays of the setting sun. He absentmindedly threw smooth stones into the still lake and watched as the ripples expanded and then slowly faded to nothing. A warm breeze suddenly ruffled his already messy hair and he looked in the direction of the memorial to his side. The sun reflected off of the polished marble, bathing the courtyard in a brilliant light. Teddy had been staring at it for a few moments when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Something was caught up in the breeze a few yards away from Teddy, but he couldn't tell what it was. The small objects moved closer to Teddy, piquing his interest. When they settled next to him, Teddy couldn't help but smile and emit a small laugh as a few white rose petals danced in the breeze at his side.

* * *

**Disclaimer**

Anything that is recognizable from any of the _Harry Potter _books is property of J.K. Rowling and I make no profit from it.


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